Feeling stressed? Pets help people cope during isolation

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) hosted its first-ever Spring Policy Forum focused on Mental Health and Companion Animals, convening leaders in the pet care community and partners in the mental health space to move society toward more widespread awareness of the important role of companion animals for improved mental health. The Policy Forum program featured presentations addressing research, practice, and policies associated with this important topic and delivered by expert speakers from a wide array of disciplines. Speakers included Susan Trachman, MD, a Board-Certified Psychiatrist who talked about the role of pet ownership in supporting mental health and Mental Health America (MHA) and HABRI unveiled results of a survey of 4,000 MHA constituents on the care and resource-related needs of those impacted by mental health related to companion animals. The MHA-HABRI survey found that pet owners overwhelmingly report positive health benefits resulting from their pet, that there is great interest and need for resources related to pets and mental health, and that this is particularly true among those living with a mental or physical disability: 98% of pet owners report at least one health benefit resulting from their pet, including reduced feelings of loneliness (73%), providing comfort (73%) and a source of happiness (79%) 71% of respondents (76% of those with a disability) are interested in working with a mental health professional who incorporates pets or animal-assisted interventions (AAI) into their practice Those with a disability are more likely to say they are interested in pets to support their mental health (79%) compared to those without a disability (50%) 93% of respondents agree there should be more support for pet ownership and AAIs in society “Mental Health America is proud to partner with HABRI to bring forward new data from our constituency on the experiences, benefits and challenges related to pets and mental health,” said America...

The PAWS Act Coalition, a group of nonprofit and for-profit organizations committed to better protecting survivors of domestic violence by establishing, validating and promoting the criticality of protecting their pets, too, is informing the domestic violence shelter community of the recent announcement of the Fiscal Year 2021 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Victims of Crime (OVC) Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. “With the opening of the 2021 grant applications, we encourage domestic violence shelters around the country to apply for funding to become pet-friendly facilities,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. FY 2021 grants will provide emergency and transitional shelter and housing assistance or short-term shelter and housing assistance for domestic violence victims with pets, service animals, emotional support animals, or horses. Grants awarded may also be used for programs that provide support services designed to enable someone fleeing an abuser to locate and secure safe housing with their pet, safe accommodations for their pet, or related services such as transportation and other assistance. The $2.5 million appropriated for 2021 represents a $500,000 increase in funding following the success of the FY 2020 Emergency Transitional Pet Shelter Housing and Assistance Grant Program. The program awarded approximately $2 million to six organizations in six states to support transitional housing services for survivors of domestic violence and their companion animals. Grants have enabled shelters to expand housing and supportive service resources for domestic violence survivors, provide assistance including rent, pet deposits, and pet supplies to those seeking transitional housing with their pet, and more. “The first round of the PAWS Act Grant Program funding in 2020 came at a critical time to aid survivors of domestic violence seeking safe shelter and healing with their pets across the nation,” said...

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) today announced it had awarded a $24,000 grant to Green Chimneys, a leader in animal-assisted therapy and educational programs, for a new research study, Animal-­‐Assisted Social Skills Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This grant to Green Chimneys advances the HABRI Foundation’s mission to better document the effects of animals on human health through scientific research,” said HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman. “Animals can play a positive role in the lives of those with autism, and we look forward to learning more as a result of this study. Further exploring the effect of dogs on children with ASD, the purpose of this study is to develop and test an animal-assisted social skills intervention. As one of the first research projects undertaken by The Sam & Myra Ross Institute at Green Chimneys, the 12-week study will include a controlled trial with 32 Green Chimneys students ages 8-15, comparing an animal-assisted social skills group and a traditional social skills training group without an animal present. It is predicted that participants in the social skills training group that incorporates work with dogs will exhibit greater levels of change in social skills, perspective taking, theory of mind and decreased feelings of isolation when compared with those participants receiving the traditional social skills training. If significant results are found, it will further demonstrate that animal-assisted interventions are a valid approach for teaching children with ASD the skills necessary to engage with peers and will further support the role of the human-animal bond in advancing children with developmental delays. Green Chimneys’ long history of incorporating animal-­assisted activities into therapeutic treatment makes it an ideal laboratory for conducting research in the area of human-animal interaction (HAI),” said Dr. Steven Klee, Green Chimneys Associate Executive...